The quality of talk in children's joint activity at the computer

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Abstract
Abstract  This paper describes some findings of the Spoken Language and New Technology (SLANT) research project which studied the talk of primary school children who were working together at the computer on a range of activities involving various kinds of software. It was observed that computer‐based activities were commonly effective for motivating interaction and stimulating talk, but that this talk varied considerably between activities in terms of its quality and educational value. The analysis of these observations suggests some ways in which the quality of talk and collaboration can be improved. This analysis also supports the view that teachers, software designers and educational researchers need a broader conception of what is involved in designing and running computer‐based activity.